Charmed, 1x01: The Power of Four
by jdonatello
Summary: The Halliwell family have always been a bit odd and abnormal. But, when 21-year-old Phoebe Halliwell returns to her grandmother's manor after she passes away, she uncovers a family secret that gives her older sisters and her baby cousin powers that she never thought imaginable. They become... THE CHARMED ONES. *AU/Retelling*
1. Prologue

_**San Francisco, California. **_

The night was dark and stormy, rain falling from the sky as if the world was going to end any second. Lightning flashed, thunder clapped, putting the sky on fire. People rushed to get off the street, trying to get shelter from the rain pounding the ground and the pavement. Nearly everyone was attempting to rush out the rain and keep dry that no one noticed a dismal and hooded figure standing ominously in front of an apartment complex, staring at one specific window that had a warm light coming from it.

A man in a business suit bumped the hooded figure, who didn't even flinch at the bump, just continued to stare blankly at the apartment window…

* * *

Serena Frederick, 26-years-old, sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror of her bathroom. She had bags under her eyes that showed her how tired she was. She couldn't believe how much sleep she WASN'T getting in the past few days. The nightmares she has been having have been becoming steadily worse as the weeks wore on.

It seemed as if something was haunting her. But as to what, she wasn't sure. A small meow pulled her from her thoughts, her baby kitten, Charm, rubbing against her leg affectionately. Sometimes, she just knew the small cat could almost read her thoughts.

Serena smiled at Charm before picking her up in her arms. "You hungry, sweetie?"

Charm responded with a small purr, licking Serena's fingers. She walks out of the bathroom and into the living room of her apartment, candles placed in precarious places, almost set up in a way that looked as if a séance was about to occur. And indeed it was.

A little known fact that most people didn't know about Serena was the fact that she was a witch. Not like the witches from classic movies such as Hocus Pocus and Wizard of Oz or the ones kids learn about for Halloween. But, one that was completely different altogether.

She comes from a long line of witches, starting from her great-great-great-GREAT grandmother all the way to her baby sister who now lives in San Diego. And while they did cast spells and perform rituals and whatnot, they didn't ride brooms and have warts on their faces. In fact, the women in Serena's family actually had pretty smooth skin.

But, that was besides the point. She needed help and the only one that she felt like could help her was her Grandma Edna, a powerful witch who had unfortunately passed to the otherside. Hence the reason for the séance. She was the only one that could give her the answers that she craved and needed.

She placed Charm in front of a bowl of food, the cat immediately going to work on it. "Good girl," Serena said to Charm, petting the kitten's head.

Taking a deep breath, she walks over to an altar with three unlit candles, placed in the center of the rest of the burning candles. She lights the unlit candles easily with the tip of her fingers. If anyone else had seen the act, they probably would have flipped. But, it had become almost second nature to Serena. One of her natural Wiccan abilities.

An unseen wind began blowing in the apartment, Charm looking up from her bowl of food, staring at her owner as she began reciting a spell. "Ancient one of the Earth so deep, Master of Moon and Sun. I shield you in my Wiccan Way, here in my Circle Round, asking you to protect this space, and offer your Sun force down."

The wind picked up, but none of the candles blowing out. Serena was so caught up in her incantation that she didn't even notice the hooded figure walk up behind her. Until Charm hissed and ran in the other room. She turned around, gasping in surprise. Startled more than anything, a smile soon came to her face as she realized that she recognized it was a familiar face.

"God, you scared me. What are you doing here?" She asked with a seductive smile as the hooded figure stalked towards her. Serena's smile quickly faded as the hooded figure pulled out a knife and plunged it into her stomach. She barely had time to yelp before her body lay limp on the floor of her own apartment.


	2. Uneasy Reunion

Outside, the rain still poured down on San Francisco and its citizens. People scurried to the inside, trying everything humanly possible to stay dry. It was as if the Heavens themselves were crying.

One such patron ran down the street of a seemingly quiet suburban neighborhood, umbrella over her head as she rushed down the street, lightning clashing above her. When the sky lit up, her quick footsteps turned into an all out run as she ran up to a huge Victorian five bedroom house that looked like it had been around for quite awhile. The Halliwell Manor.

And the person running up the driveway and to the safety of the porch was 23-year-old Piper Halliwell. She shakes off her umbrella and takes one last look at the raging storm before heading into the house.

Piper entered her home, the lights already on, indicating that either her older sister, Prue was home or her younger cousin Paige was here. "Prue? Paige?" She called out. As soon as she heard her older sister call out to her, "In here, working on the chandelier", she cringed.

She was supposed to meet an electrician for their malfunctioning chandelier, which has been going completely haywire for about a week now. She had gotten so caught up in shopping in Chinatown that she completely forgot.

"Sorry I'm late," Piper apologized, bags in hand as she saw her sister, 26-year-old Prue Halliwell, standing on a small step stool, tinkering away at the chandelier hanging in the foyer. Prue managed to shoot her a chastising look. "What else is new?"

Prue stepped down from the stool, Piper casting her older sister an apologetic grin. Which wasn't met with as much sympathy. "Piper, I would of been here to meet the electrician myself but you know I can't leave the museum until six. I didn't even have time to change."

Shaking her head, Piper replies, "I just didn't realize how long I was in Chinatown. Did Jeremy call?"

Prue shakes her head, but all the while smirking at Piper. "No. But, he had some roses and a package delivered."

Piper rushes over to the said items with excitement, Prue following closely behind her. "What were you doing in Chinatown? I thought you had an interview in North Beach."

They walked into the dining room, where the Halliwell's long dinner table sat. A dozen red roses sat with a large wooden box next to them. Piper smiled widely. "I did but I went to Young Lee Market after my interview to get the ingredients for my audition recipe tomorrow."

"So that wolfgang-puck knock off didn't hire you, then?" Prue cracked. Piper took the top off the wooden box, pulling out a large wine-looking glass placed on top of hay. "No. But, this just may get me the job," she said.

Looking at the glass curiously, Prue grabbed it from her sister's hand. "Jeremy sent you port?"

Nodding with a widening smile, Piper said, "The ultimate ingredient to my recipe."

"Nice boyfriend."

Piper had to admit, her boyfriend, Jeremy, of six months was a pretty good catch. Even though they were in the 'getting to know each other' stage of their relationship, she felt as if they were moving along swimmingly. "Where's Paige?"

"At Vanessa's house. I have to go get her in a second," Prue stated as she walked away from the dining table. Piper noticed something on the table that nearly made her eyes pop her out of her head. "Oh, my God! I don't believe it. Tell me that's not our old spirit board?"

Prue stopped in her tracks, turning to look at Piper as she stopped everything and rushed the spirit board. That same smirk adorned her face as she watched her sister hover over the old antique.

"Yeah. I found it in the basement when I was looking for the circuit tester."

Even though it was dusty and somewhat chipped away, it was definitely their old spirit board the girls use to play with in their younger days. Piper had a reminiscing grin on her face, reading the inscription on the back of it: "To my four beautiful girls. May this give you the light to find the shadows. The Power of Four will be forevermore. Love, Grams."

The thought of their grandmother almost pained Prue, but she was glad to know that she had more happy memories than sad ones.

"We never did figure out what this inscription meant," Piper said still staring at the spirit board.

"Well, maybe we should send it to Phoebe. That girl is so in the dark. Maybe a little light will help."

Prue walked back into the foyer, grabbing her jacket and her own umbrella. For the first time since she entered the house, Piper's smile faded. At Prue's mention of their younger sister, Phoebe, it was never anything nice. "You're always so hard on her."

"Piper, the girl has no vision, no sense of the future," Prue shot back. Whenever Phoebe was even mentioned, her blood began to boil.

"Well, I for one, really think she's coming around."

Throwing on her coat and heading out the door, Prue shot that same smirk to Piper before saying, "Well, as long as she doesn't come around here I guess that's good news." The door shut, Piper staring after her older sister. Her frown soon turned into a worried and nervous look.

* * *

The rain still poured on the streets of San Francisco. People still rushed off the streets of San Francisco. The apartment building of Serena Frederick now had police cars on the outside of it, her body had now been found and brought San Francisco PD on high alert.

One such member of the San Francisco Police Department, police inspector Andy Trudeau, stepped out of his car and rushed into the apartment building, only to be greeted by his partner, Darryl, who was less than happy to see him late to the crime scene that had their department in such a flurry.

"Well, its about time!" Darryl snorted to him, eyebrows furrowed in frustration.

"Hey, I got here as soon as I heard. Another dead female, right?" Andy deducted, not even really having to be retold the situation. Darryl had told him all he needed to know over the phone. "Mid to late twenties?"

"I called you over an hour ago, Trudeau. Where have you been?" Darryl continued to reprimand his partner as the two of them made their way into the apartment building. A growing crowd of bystanders had gathered in front of the building, all looking to catch a glimpse of what could have possibly brought the police to it.

"Checking out a lead," Andy smartly answered without actually answering, which didn't go unnoticed by Darryl.

Andy followed his partner up to the apartment that would eventually lead to Serena's apartment. "What lead?" Darryl asked. Trudeau furrowed his own eyebrows this time, impressed by Darryl's consistency. He wasn't gonna let this up.

"One that didn't go anywhere."

Darryl stopped in his tracks, turning to look at Andy with an amused gaze. "You're avoiding my question."

"Because you don't wanna know that I went to an occult shop."

The amused gaze that was on Inspector Morris's face turned to that of annoyance as he said, "You hate me, don't you?"

They continued to the apartment of Serena Frederick. Police officers, investigators, and other inspectors were all milling around them, clearly busy with their own parts of the investigation. "You want to see me suffer," Darryl added.

Andy sighed. To say Darryl was being over dramatic would be an understatement. "I wanna solve these murders. Someone's after witches."

"Women," Darryl corrected.

"That woman up there… I bet she was killed with an athame."

"Wrong. Double-edged steel knife."

Andy nodded, his point being proven without him having to even say much. "Right. That's an athame. It's known as a ceremonial tool. Witch's use them to direct energy."

Darryl rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe what his partner was saying! "That lady didn't direct shit. She was stabbed. Plain and simple."

"She was found around a bunch of candles?"

"Yeah."

"Was there an altar?"

"Yes…"

"Were there carvings on that altar?"

Darryl raised a curious eyebrow this time. Regardless if he believed Andy or not, he had to admit that he MIGHT be on to something. No way in hell he was going to admit that to him, though. This entire case was already becoming too spooky for him to deal with.

"Just do me favor. Don't ever follow a lead without checking with me first."

"Oh, so you wanna go to occult shops?"

With a forced laugh, Darryl chortles and slaps Andy's shoulder dramatically. "Just get to work. Okay?"

With that, Darryl tromps away. Andy considered that as him at least somewhat believing his lead, but he knew he wasn't out of the woods, yet. If there was anybody who was by the book and did things the right way, it was his partner Darryl. Sighing, he starts to head into the apartment but someone calling out his name stops him.

"Inspector Trudeau!"

Andy turns and sees a disheveled young man run up to him, a small notebook in his hand. Andy had been in this business long enough to recognize a journalist when he sees one. "Jeremy Burns. San Francisco Chronicle. You care to comment about the murder, sir?"

He frowns. Andy, like most officers of the law, weren't very fond of journalists. They tend to make their jobs a lot harder than they already were. So he decided to go the route of Darryl in this case. "A woman was stabbed. Plain and simple."

"Well, that's the third one in three weeks."

Looking the journalist up and down, he was somewhat impressed with the young man's lack of question, but still looking to get an answer out of him. Which is why he simply decided to walk away without saying anything further.

* * *

17-year-old Paige Halliwell stormed through the front door of the Halliwell Manor, scowling. Even through all the thunder and rain and chaos outside, her oldest cousin, Prue, still managed to be heard with her incessant nagging.

"Paige!"

The black haired teenager didn't stop, she just threw her coat down on the coat rack and continued to walk towards the stairs.

"PAIGE!"

Rolling her eyes that every person her age seemed to have mastered, Paige slowly turned around to face Prue, who had a look that was not at all pleasant. "What?" Paige retorted smartly.

"What? What is your problem?" Prue frowned at her baby cousin, putting her umbrella down before folding her arms in authoritative manner.

"What's MY problem? My problem is you walking around always thinking that you're somebody's boss. The only people who you are the boss of are those losers at the museum you work at."

The commotion had drawn the other patron of the house from the kitchen, Piper peeking from around the corner nervously. Whenever the oldest and the youngest of the house go at it, sparks tend to fly so she always made sure that she was well out of reach.

Prue's eyes nearly popped out of her head. Her cousin Paige was the youngest of the family. And ever since their grandmother's death, she has become the most antisocial, angry, and rude teenager known to man. Now, normally those traits are common of any teenager, so everyone constantly tells her that its just a phase for her and not to worry about it. And normally, Prue wouldn't. But, Penny's death hit Paige the hardest out of all of them, considering the fact the woman basically raised her from the time she was months old up until she was sixteen. To have that snatched away from her so early definitely seemed to be having a negative effect on the young girl.

"Excuse me? Well, the last time I checked, I was your legal guardian, so-" Prue couldn't even finish her statement before Paige cut in.

"Yeah, my legal guardian, not my MOM, Prue!"

Piper quietly hissed from the corner she was peeking at. Prue continued to glare at Paige, but decided against saying anything else. Paige knew she had cut a nerve. Prue had given up her apartment with Piper to come back and live with Paige after their grandmother died so that she wouldn't be uprooted and thrown into a foster home or something dreadful such as that. Paige really did appreciate all the things they've done for her. Prue's bossy and rulemaking ways just got to her in more ways than one most of the time, causing them to clash.

"Your right. I'm not your Mom. But, as long as you are under this roof, you're gonna go to school, do your homework, and finish these last two years of high school. Or so help me God you will have to leave. Not a threat. A promise."

Paige huffed at her, eyebrows turning into deep craters. An intense stare down occurred between the cousins before Paige turned, stormed away and stomped up the stairs angrily, slamming the door to her room in a dramatic conclusion.

Piper finally comes out of her hiding place, absolutely miffed at what she just saw. "What in the world was that about?"

"Her and Vanessa skipped school today, according to Vanessa's Mom."

That surprised Piper. Of all the things Paige went out of her way to say she hated, school was not one of them. If anything, she felt like Paige used school as an excuse to get away from them for a few hours.

"Skipped school? What in the world…"

"I don't know. That girl gets worse and worse everyday. I don't know what to do with her."

Piper sighs before saying, "Be there for her. That's all we can do, really. She's seventeen and she's going through a lot."

"Doesn't make it right to go and skip school."

"Oh, like you've never ditched school when you were her age," Piper retorted.

Prue pursed her lips at her sister. The one thing that she admired about Piper most was her ability to stay neutral to most situations and see the positive side in most things. It could also be the thing that infuriated her about her sister, as well.

"Whatever. If she gets kicked out of school for anything dumb, I have no idea what we're gonna do. A broken chandelier is gonna be the least of our problems."

Faint car lights appearing out the front window caught Piper's eyes. Her heart dropped, knowing immediately who it could be. She rushed over to the window, took a peek outside and saw a taxicab. If it was possible, her heart dropped even further. Now was not the most opportune time to drop the news on her older sister, considering the spat she just had with Paige.

"Uh… Prue? I know this probably isn't the best time… but… you know how we've been talking about what to do with that spare room? I think you're right, we need a roommate."

Taking a look at the circuit tester, Prue's attention was diverted for the time being at Piper's sudden change of subject. "I guess we can rent the room at a reduced rated in exchange for some help around the house."

"Phoebe's good with a wrench," Piper replied quickly, earning her a frown from Prue. Going from temperamental teens to whatever Piper had up her sleeve regarding their younger sister, her attitude was not looking to get any better.

"Phoebe lives in New York," Prue said sternly.

"...Not anymore."

"What?!"

"She left New York. She's moving back in with us."

Prue couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was bad enough that she had to deal with her teenage cousin who was going through whatever she was going through but to have Piper drop this information on her so suddenly was a blow she didn't know if she was ready to deal with. "You have GOT to be kidding."

Walking away in flurry, Piper followed after her, arguing her case to Prue. "Well, I could hardly say no! It's her house, too. It was willed to all of us."

"Yeah, months ago and we haven't seen or spoken to her since," the anger in Prue's voice was evident. Old grudges against her youngest sister wasn't just going to go away with time.

"Well… _you_ haven't spoken to her," Piper shot back quietly, almost in guilt.

"No, I haven't," Prue snapped. Piper wanted to take back her comment. She knew the reason why her and Phoebe haven't spoken in the months that the girls have gone their separate ways. "Look, maybe you've forgotten why I'm still mad at her."

"No, of course not but she had nowhere else to go. She lost her job, she's in debt-"

"And this is news?!"

Piper knew Prue wasn't going to take this well. Especially after the argument she had with Paige. So without saying anything else further, she decided to let Prue catch herself. Sighing, Prue said, "How long have you known about this, anyway?"

She hesitated. "A couple days. Maybe a week… or two."

If looks could kill, Piper would've been way below six feet under. Prue glared at her with evil eyes. "Thanks for sharing. When does she arrive?"

As if on cue, the front door swings opens and 21-year-old Phoebe Halliwell, the youngest Halliwell sister, comes striding in happily. "SURPRISE! I found the hide-a-key."

Prue rolled her eyes, not the one willing to welcome home Phoebe with giant, open arms. So Piper took the initiative to do so. "Phoebe, welcome home!"

"Piper!"

The two sisters hug tightly, not having seen each other in months. Once they part, Piper shot the cold Prue a death glare that could possibly match her own. "It's so good to see you," Piper said to her younger sister, not taking her eyes off her older one. "Isn't it, Prue?"

"I'm speechless," Prue replied dryly.

Outside, a car horn beeped, interrupting the tense reunion. Phoebe gasped, remembrance hitting her like a ton of bricks. "Oops! I forgot about the cab."

"Oh, I'll get it," Piper said, grabbing a purse off a nearby counter top. That purse just happened to be Prue's. "Piper, that's MY purse!"

Unfortunately, Piper was already walking out the doorway, waving off Prue in a dismissive manner with her purse in hand. Prue's glared deepened as the door slammed shut. Phoebe shot her a lopsided, tense smile. It was obvious she wasn't sure what to say.

"Thanks. I'll pay you back."

The air could be cut with a knife. The two of them didn't leave each other on happy terms so to say this was unexpected for Prue would be saying A LOT. She eyed the backpack that was placed at Phoebe's feet.

"Is that all you brought?" Prue asked coldly.

"That's all that I own. That and a bike."

Another tense moment passed between the two. It felt like Piper was intentionally taking longer than she should have been with the taxi just to be the peacemaker she played all too well. Phoebe sighed, "Look, I know that you don't want me here-"

"We're not selling Grams' house."

Phoebe's mouth dropped in disbelief. She wasn't necessarily shocked at Prue's assumptions because she always assumed the worse out of her. But, she wanted her sister to at least ATTEMPT to give her the benefit of the doubt. "Is that why you think I came back?"

"Look, the only reason Piper and I gave up our apartment and moved back here was to look after Paige and not to mention this house has been in our family for generations-"

"No history lesson needed. I grew up here, too," Phoebe angrily shot back.

Now déjà vu was setting in for Prue. Another young, rebellious Halliwell was staring back at her with the same angry scowl she had shot at to so many people over the years. Phoebe wasn't that much older than Paige but her demeanor was a lot more vocal and louder, always giving Prue a run for her money. "So can we talk about what's really bothering you?"

"No, I'm still furious with you," Prue replied.

"So you'd rather have a tense reunion filled with boring chit chat and unimportant small tak?"

"No, but otherwise we won't have anything to talk about."

Phoebe continued to stare a hole into Prue. The one thing she had been itching to say even before she stepped foot into the house was begging to come right out of her lips. And before she realized it… it did. "I never touched Roger."

Prue couldn't believe Phoebe's boldness. Phoebe had always been known for saying what was on her mind, as were all the Halliwell women, but that was out of line. "Whoa," was all Prue was able to muster out.

"I know you think otherwise because that's what that Armani-wearing, Chardonnay-slugging, trust-funder told you-"

Before Phoebe could finish her rant, Piper came clomping back in the house, soaking wet from the rain that still didn't seem to be letting up outside. Her hopeful smile never leaving her face. "Hey, guys, I have a great idea! Why don't I make us a fabulous reunion dinner?"

Shooting each other one last death glare, Prue and Phoebe started to walk in opposite directions. But, not before answering Piper's question.

"I'm not hungry," Prue said, followed by Phoebe, who replied, "I ate on the bus."

Piper watched after each of her sisters as they walked away from her, from each other, and out of the room. She sighed. "Okay. We'll try the group hug later!"


	3. Freakfests

Paige laid flat on her back, her iPhone in her hands as she scrolled through the numerous text messages in it. She was surprised that Prue hadn't threatened in taking it away from her like she normally does when she caught her doing some God-awful act that dealt with school.

It wasn't like she had anyone to communicate with besides her best friend, Vanessa, anyway. But, anyone with someone aged 13-18 in the household knows that the best way to get to them is just threaten them with keys to the car or their phone. Quickest way to get a reaction and Prue knew it.

Her usually dry inbox annoyed her even further as she slung the phone, albeit safely, on her pillow. Needless to say, Paige wasn't the most popular student attending Lowell High School. With her messy black hair and her braces that fit tightly around her teeth, it wasn't as if she wasn't pretty… just unkept at times.

Ever since her grandmother died months ago, things haven't been the same for her. She felt like her cousins just kind of intruded into her life, forcing themselves upon her and practically making themselves her legal guardians.

A knock at her door diverted her from her thoughts. At first, she thought it was Prue attempting to play mother again, but a familiar voice from the other side of the door got her mood changing instantly.

"Paige Halliwell? Open this door, now. It's your favorite cousin," the sing-song voice of Phoebe Halliwell sent Paige into immediate happiness.

"Phoebe?! Oh, my God!"

She jumped off the bed and swung opened the door, met with a face she hadn't seen in a very long time. It was third oldest and probably most favorite cousin, Phoebe. Squealing, the two of them embraced in a tight hug.

"When did you get here?" Paige asked excitedly.

"I literally just walked in," Phoebe said.

The two of them took a seat on Paige's bed, the television showing the evening news, something that neither of them was watching. "How long are you here for?" Paige asked.

She couldn't believe Phoebe was here. She was so devastated by her leaving, she wanted to think that it was part of her angriness towards Prue stepping up and taking on the roll of her guardian. Had Phoebe of been here, life would have been much more fun.

"For good, hopefully."

"Really?! Like, seriously? No jokes?"

Phoebe giggled at her cousin. "No jokes. If Prue doesn't stomp me into the ground that is."

Paige frowned. One thing she loved about her cousin Phoebe was that she was not afraid of speaking her mind to her oldest cousin. Maybe because they were sisters and not just cousins. Not like they let the who title thing come in between them. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe had always treated Paige as if she was their baby sister, anyway.

Phoebe noticed Paige's frown. "Is that a frown? What's that frown?"

"Nothing. She's just so… militant."

Chuckling, Phoebe already knew where the conversation was going. "Oh, geez. What did she do?"

Another soft knock at the door interrupted them. "It's me," Piper's small voice called out. Getting up, Paige opened the door and was met with Piper, who was carrying a tray full of delicious looking food and drinks on it.

"Can I come in?" Piper asked.

Paige didn't even get a chance to answer before Phoebe practically pushed her out the way, gushing at the tray of food Piper brought before them. "Oh, thank God. I'm starving!"

Piper smiled, entering the room. Paige had to admit, she was rather hungry. And her stomach agreed with her when she smelled the food that was prepped on the tray. Sitting the tray on the small table near Paige's bed, Piper saw the news piece on TV, a face she recognized nearly popping out at her.

"Hey, that's Jeremy!"

"Your boyfriend, Jeremy?" Paige asked. She turned and saw the television. Yes, indeed, Piper's boyfriend Jeremy was there, looking as lost as ever in Paige's opinion. "Hey, your right… wonder what happened."

"Looks like some woman got whacked," Phoebe deducted.

Piper gave her a skeptical look, raising an eyebrow at her. "Whacked? Phoebe, you've been in New York way too long."

Paige giggled at the crack, looking over the goodies on the tray. Phoebe grabbed a cracker off of it, dipping it in cheese. A dismal smile found its way to her face. "Yeah, I should've stayed," she said before shooting Piper in unscrupulous frown. "Now, why didn't you tell Prue I was coming back?"

Piper shook her head incredulously. "And risk her changing the locks? I don't think so."

"I take it she wasn't too happy with your wonderful return?" Paige said sarcastically.

"Yeah, more like pissed," Phoebe replied, taking another cracker.

Sighing at the two youngest Halliwells as they discussed the oldest Halliwell, Piper continued to stare blankly at the television. "I think you should've been the one to tell her Pheebs, not me."

"Good point, Chicken Little. It's just so hard for me to talk to her. She's always been more like…"

"A Mom," Paige cut in.

Phoebe glanced at her cousin. When Paige told her that Prue was 'militant', she hadn't thought it was synonymous with motherly. Because most mothers were militant. Piper, the ever peaceful one, sighed again.

"Guys, its not her fault. She practically had to sacrifice-"

"Her own childhood to help raise us," Phoebe finished for her.

Piper wasn't amused. "Ha, ha. Very funny," she shot back dryly to Phoebe, who stuck her tongue out playfully. She turned towards Paige. "And she left her job at that great office and took the job at the museum to make sure that you don't get sent to some crappy foster home."

Paige tried to tell her side of the story, "I know, but-"

"Ah!" Piper cut her off, doing a hand movement signaling for silence. It got the intended result, Paige immediately shutting up. "No more skipping school. I can't keep saving your butt for much longer."

Phoebe looked over to Paige, surprised. "You're ditching school, now?"

"Oh, like you've never done it before?" Paige retorted.

Phoebe stopped. She did have a point. She skipped school more times than she could actually count. So many times it made her laugh out loud. "Not the point," Phoebe said, playfully slapping Paige on the wrist.

The three of them laughed lightly, only to be interrupted by a soft knock. Prue stood in the doorway, timidly holdy blankets in her hands. She nodded towards Phoebe. "I'm gonna put these in your room. It was always the coldest in the house."

"Thanks," Phoebe thanked her, matching her timidness.

This was gonna be a big change for all of them.

* * *

The rain had finally let up, although the dark cloud that lingered signaled the storm could come back at any moment. The San Francisco Police Department were still surveying the horrific scene at Serena Frederick's apartment. Pictures were snapping of the various pieces that they claimed as evidence as the body of Serena was being prepped to be carted off to the coroner's office.

Andy and Darryl were amongst the many officers in the apartment. Serena's dead, lifeless body was about to carted away. Andy was taking one last look at her body, however. On the nape of her neck, he noticed a familiar tattoo; one that he saw on the other three victims that they discovered in the past month.

It was a small quadquetra symbol, a full circle with four interlocking arcs inside of it.

'_This can't merely be a coincidence_,' Andy thought to himself before saying out loud, "It's the same tattoo that was on the other two victims."

"So, the murderer is killing occultists," Darryl said.

"No, the murderer is on a witch hunt."

That earned Andy another eye roll from Darryl. This was obviously something that they just weren't going to agree on. Andy was adamant, though. All the signs were there. It was just a matter of getting his partner to believe it.

"Oh, yeah. He's five to eight hundred years old and he lives in Salem," Darryl cracked sarcastically. "Look around, Trudeau. Pentagrams, altars, offerings. All the tools of a freakfest."

As much as they disagree on things, one wouldn't even think that Andy and Darryl had been partners for going on three years now. Despite their very different views on how to go about cases, they were actually very good friends. Andy was even Darryl's best man at his wedding. Darryl was more of the inside the box kind of guy while Andy was always trying to think outside of it.

"They call them Sabbaths," Andy corrected. "Which is hardly a freakfest. She was a solitary practitioner. She practiced her craft alone."

Darryl shot Andy another unbelieving eyeroll.

"Let me ask you something, Morris. Do you believe in UFO's?"

"Hell, no."

"Neither do I. But, do you believe that there are people out there who do believe in UFOs?"

"Yes, but I think they're crazy."

"Well, then why can't you believe that there are people who believe they're witches?"

Darryl huffed out another sigh at Andy, furrowing his eyebrows. If he hadn't known Andy personally, he would've started to suspect him in these murders. "Look, all I know is if you don't stop talking about witches, I'm gonna start questioning you," he joked, but deep down, he was actually a bit serious. He hoped it didn't come to that but Trudeau was definitely pushing it.

The small kitten found in the apartment that more than likely belonged to the victim jumped on the table, meowing at the the two men. Andy turned his attention to the kitten, hesitatingly patting her head. Darryl smirked at Andy and his awkwardness with the animal.

"I'd stay away from that cat, Trudeau. It's been clawing the crap out of everybody. See you at the car," he said before heading towards the exit of the apartment and crime scene. Something in the back of his head told him to take one last look at Andy and when he did, he was met with a rather peculiar scene.

Andy was now holding the same small kitten that was clawing at any and everyone who came near it affectionately, something on her collar having caught his eye. How he managed to do that was beyond Darryl.

But, he never considered Andy the ordinary officer to begin with.

* * *

The rain had began to pick back up outside, but the patrons inside of the Halliwell household had turned the heat up and gotten real cozy after the unexpected return of Phoebe Halliwell. Although her and Prue still had issues that needed to be worked out, Paige welcomed back her cousin with open arms, as well as Phoebe's sister, Piper.

Now, they all were attending to their own business inside the giant house. Paige had homework that needed to get done, and after the spat she had with Pure, she made it her business that it was to get done before the night was over. So she locked herself in her room, head inside the books. Prue still struggled and fought with the broken chandelier, now looking at the circuit tester located near the basement. And when Piper showed Phoebe their old Spirit Board, the two of them immediately began playing with it, like old times.

With both of their hands on the pointer, Phoebe and Piper talked over soda and popcorn, playing with the Spirit Board, as if they were children again.

"I'm glad to hear you and Jeremy are still together," Phoebe praised her sister's six month relationship with her new beau. Piper beamed at the compliment. She always had the worst luck with men, unlike her baby sister Phoebe, so she did feel it was an accomplishment that she was able to hold onto such a strong relationship such as the one she had currently with Jeremy. "Where did you meet him, anyway?"

"We met at the hospital cafeteria, the day Grams was admitted," Piper said, smiling as she reminisced on the day her and Jeremy met. She had to admit, he was a kind of shy and corny upon their initial meeting, but that had soon become something that Piper loved about him. He never pretended to be something he wasn't. Her big, loveable, corny goofball. "He was covering a story and I was bawling over a bagel. So, he handed me a napkin."

Phoebe giggled. It wasn't often she saw Piper smile so widely at the mere mention of a guy. She really was happy for her sister. "How romantic."

"As a matter of fact, it was. The napkin had his phone number on it." Phoebe giggled even harder, pushing the pointer across the Spirit Board. Piper glared at her playfully, "Stop pushing the pointer!"

Just like when they were children, Phoebe pushed the pointer on the Spirit Board, as if something else other than her was pushing it. A sly grin formed on her lips, "I'm not touching it!"

"_You_ used to always push the pointer," Piper cracked, dipping her hand into the bowl of popcorn only to feel kernels and crumbs. She grabbed the bowl and hopped up from the table, "More popcorn?"

She grabs the bowl and makes a beeline for the kitchen, heading straight for the pantry. Back in the dining room, she could hear Phoebe call out to her, "Hey, I forgot your question!"

The smile that Piper had on her face widened as she took out another bag of popcorn, ripping off the plastic wrapping. "I asked if Prue would have sex with someone other than herself this year."

"That's disgusting!" Phoebe shot back. Piper just laughed aloud. She had to admit, despite what Prue said, she was actually happy at the return of Phoebe. Piper loved Prue, as she did all of her sisters. But, Prue was a bit of a … tightwad, as Paige and Phoebe loved pointing out to her. So to have someone she can have a little bit of fun with around was relieving to Piper.

As soon as she threw the popcorn in the microwave and started the timer, she could hear Phoebe yell to her frantically, "Piper, get in here!"

Her voice had seem shaken and scared, not at all like the fearless voice Phoebe had perfected. Something definitely had to be wrong. The popcorn becoming merely an afterthought, Piper rushed back into the dining room, coming to see Phoebe staring down at the Spirit Board with wide, fearful eyes. "What?"

"What did you guys do, now?" It was Prue, giving them her motherly tone she had become so well at doing these days. Piper shot her a disgruntled look, responding, "Me? I didn't do anything."

Phoebe lifted a shaking finger to the Spirit Board. "The pointer on the Spirit Board… it moved on its own." Piper and Prue shot her doubtful expressions, something Phoebe didn't take kindly to. "I'm serious!" She pleaded her case, "It spelled 'A' 'T'!"

"Well, did you push it?" Piper asked.

"No!" Phoebe was adamant.

"_You _always used to push the pointer," Prue replied, mirroring what Piper had said earlier.

Phoebe sighed a frustrated sigh. No one ever listened to the little one. "My fingers were barely touching it. Look," Phoebe sat back down in front of the Spirit Board, putting her fingers back on the pointer. And, of course, nothing happens. Its just still. Silent. Not moving at all. Her older sisters shoot her another doubtful frown, both of them turning away to walk back out of the room simultaneously. As soon as they turn their backs, the pointer swooshes to the bottom of the board and back to the letter T. Phoebe's eyes nearly popped out of her skull.

"Ah! It did it again! It moved!" She screamed.

Hearing her frantic shout for the second time, both Prue and Piper turned back around to look at Phoebe and the board. Dry frowns adorned their faces again, however. To them, it seemed as if the pointer was still on the letter T. "It's still on the letter T," Pure said dryly.

"I swear it moved!" Phoebe pleaded. Something was definitely going on. And whatever it was, it was trying to make Phoebe out to be the crazy one. Or the even crazier. More crazier… saying that her sisters probably already thought she was crazy to begin with.

Prue smacked her teeth, turning back around and leaving the room in a flurry. She didn't have time to play Phoebe's games any longer. She hadn't even been back a full night and it was back to her old childish antics. Paige was easier to deal with than Phoebe, Prue thought to herself as she headed back towards the circuit tester.

Piper didn't move, though. She didn't take the time to look at Phoebe's downtrodden look as she watched after Prue leaving the room, for the pointer on the Spirit Board moves once again, aimlessly gliding across the board. Piper gasped, tensing up. Phoebe noticed with a quickness. "Look! You saw that, right?!"

"I think so… yeah," Piper managed to stammer out. She couldn't believe any of this. It was absolutely crazy!

"I told you I wasn't touching it."

The pointer moved upwards once more. Piper almost jumped out of her pants, instantly yelling, "Prue, can you come in here for a sec?"

The clomping of big sister Prue's footsteps could be heard a mile away. When she reenters the room, Piper clasps her arm tightly, like a scared little girl. Phoebe continued to watch the pointer, grabbing a nearby envelope and pen, still watching it closely.

"Now what?" Prue griped to the two of them.

Finished writing with what she was able to gather from the letters the pointer was pointing to, Phoebe raised a curious eyebrow. "I think it's trying to tell us something," she said to Piper and Prue before holding up the envelope for them to see. It spelled out, very plainly, the word 'attic'.

A LARGE, THUNDEROUS CLAP OF LIGHTNING FLASHED OUTSIDE, LIGHTING UP THE ENTIRE SKY!

And then… the power in the whole house goes out, putting it in darkness.


	4. Lights Out

The power in her room cut off, causing Paige to look up from her History book that up until a few seconds ago, had a complete and full attention.

Lightning clapped outside and the thunder roared, Paige almost jumping out of her pajamas. Groaning with aggravation, she got up from her bed, walking towards the door. She peeked her head out of her room to find the entire house pitch black. The power must have gone out, she deducted to herself.

She walked down the hallway, towards the steps, where she heard what she thought was Prue and Piper bickering about something or another.

"Don't you think you're overreacting?" She heard Prue say, followed by a, "We're perfectly safe here."

"Don't say that!" Piper snapped back, her hurried footsteps being heard going towards the front door. "In horror movies, the person who says that is always the next to die!"

Paige edged towards the steps, stopping at the very top of the stairs. She could hear Piper and Prue continue to go back and forth. "Its pouring rain, there's a psycho on the loose, Jeremy isn't even home!" Prue pleaded with Piper to not go outside. The lights going off were sending Piper into panic mode, but Paige wasn't sure as to why.

"Well, I'll… I'll- I'll wait in the cab until he gets home from work," Piper stuttered over her words, fear evident all through her sentence.

"Oh, that'll be cheap," Prue sarcastically shot back.

"Prue, I saw that pointer move!"

"What's going on?" Paige finally asked, her two arguing cousins jumping out of their skins at the sound of her voice.

"Oh, my God! Paige, you almost gave me a heart attack," Piper exclaimed, who continued to gather her things. Prue sighed deeply, turning to Paige, "Nothing is going on. Phoebe's playing a joke on us."

"What-" Paige started, but Piper quickly cut in. "Prue, we don't know that. We've lived in this house for months and we've never been able to get that attic door open," Piper walked across the foyer, picking up the house phone. She put it to her ear, and when she heard no sound coming from the other end, her panicked state amplified. "Great, now the phone doesn't work!"

"Yeah, the power's out," Prue said matter-of-factly.

No one was really telling her anything and watching Piper gather her things in rushed nervousness made Paige feel a bit uneasy. "Does anyone know when the lights are gonna be back on? I was right in the middle of studying for a History test," she said, Prue giving her a mean side-eye.

"You picked quite a time to actually get serious about homework," another sarcastic remark from Prue, this time directed at Paige, who shot her her own sarcastic snide.

"Look, Paige, just go back up to your room, we've got this handled. Piper, come with me to the basement," Prue instructed.

Piper shot her older a sister a look of pure disbelief, as did Paige. "What?!" They both cried in unison.

"I need someone to hold the flashlight while I check out the main circuit box," Prue explained, Paige scoffing at her. "Oh, right, so while you guys go check out the main circuit box, you want me to sit in my room, in the dark? And wait for what, exactly?" Paige argued.

Through a gritted, fake smile, Prue replied, "And wait for the lights to come back on."

None of them saw Phoebe grab a spare flashlight out of a drawer on the table with the family pictures. None except Piper, who pointed to her in a frenzy. "Phoebe will go with you to the basement! Won't you, Phoebe?"

When Phoebe initially turned on the flashlight, it didn't even cut on. She hit it with the palm on her hand a few times and it finally flashed on. "Nope, I'm going to the attic," Phoebe said to them, as if it were the most common thing to say.

Pure glared at Phoebe for what seemed like the millionth time already. "No, you're not. We already agreed."

"What's in the attic? You can get into the attic?" Paige was completely lost as to what was going on. As far as she knew, the power was just out. It apparently seemed to be so much more to the story that her cousins weren't telling her.

"I am not waiting for some handyman to check out the attic and I'm certainly not waiting until tomorrow. I'm going now," Phoebe stated, not wanting to argue with Prue about the matter any longer. Her mind was made up. She begins to walk up the stairs, passing Paige, not saying anything to her, just heading up towards the attic.

Prue sighed a frustrated sigh, fed up. Phoebe had always been her biggest headache in the family, and her old antics were just too much for her to handle. She simply walked in the opposite direction, towards the basement.

Piper exchanged worried glances with Paige, albeit each for different reasons. The fact that she saw the pointer on the Spirit Board move had her frightened at every corner of her own house. Sticking together is what they needed to do in a situation like this. And Prue going off to the basement alone was something that didn't seem like the best thing to do right now. Paige gave her one last fleeting glance before turning around, going after Phoebe. Seeing Paige go up the stairs, Piper huffed, yelling out, "Prue, wait!"

* * *

Phoebe creeps up towards the attic, cautiously. Her curiosity outweighed her fear currently, but that didn't mean she wasn't scared. She was actually terrified. The Halliwell Manor was big, dark, and could be filled with ghostly spirits, for all she knew. So a little bit of caution wouldn't hurt.

The door to the attic stood in the dark of the night, the thunder clapping outside, illuminating the large, creepy door.

A voice behind Phoebe calling out her named startled the living daylights out of her, causing to jump where she stood, shining the flashlight she held in the face of her cousin Paige.

"God, Paige! You can't just sneak up on people like that!"

"What are you doing? What is going on?!"

Phoebe frowned. She didn't want to worry Paige anymore than she already did Piper, who was freaking out. However… Paige did have a right to know about the strange occurrences happening. This couldn't all be pure coincidence. "The Spirit Board told us to go to the attic… so… here I am," Phoebe explained. She smacked herself mentally when she heard the words come out of her mouth. It sounded rather ridiculous.

Paige frowned at her. "Really, Phoebe?"

"Look, believe me, don't believe me. I don't care! But, either way, I'm getting in this attic," Phoebe huffed, turning around back to the attic door. Paige's eyebrows furrowed at Phoebe in disbelief, her face frowning even further, if that were possible.

Determined, Phoebe confidently stepped up to the door. Her faux-confidence to impress her baby cousin almost mustered as she grabbed the doorknob with unsteady fingers. Not surprisingly, however, she found it didn't even budge. It was locked. Phoebe frowned, looking up at the door. She tried to nudge the doorknob again, it barely moves.

Paige rolls her eyes at her cousin, shaking her head and folding her arms. Phoebe looked back at her, giving her a rather uncouth frown.

"What made you think you can get into the attic?" Paige asked gently, seeing Phoebe's crushed spirit as she removed her hand from the doorknob, still staring up at the large door longingly. She turned to Paige, beginning to walk back down the hall and down the stairs.

"It was the Spirit Board. It spelled 'attic' I'm sure of it."

Paige was still reluctant, turning her back from the door, too. "Maybe its the time change. You know New York is, like, four hours ahead of us."

Phoebe smacked her teeth, but before she could say anything else, the two of them heard an ominous creaking sound.

The two of them stop in their tracks, nervously turning back to the attic door, seeing it creak open ever-so-slowly. Paige stood in her tracks, eyes nearly bulging out of her head. Phoebe, however… her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree as she rushed through the door excitedly.

"Phoebe, wait!" Paige called after her cousin. But, it was already too late. Phoebe disappeared through the door and into the attic room.


	5. The Book of Shadows

Phoebe tiptoed into the attic, casting nervous looks in every corner of the dark and ominous room. She cautiously takes a step deeper into the attic, the only light illuminating was her flashlight and the thunder and lightning outside.

Numerous pieces of furniture and antique pieces lay around the room haphazardly, looking more like someone's chest of precious treasures. Shining the light on the various items, some familiar some absolutely foreign, Phoebe continued to take uneasy steps in the dark room.

Her foot steps on a floorboard, the loud creaking making her turn in fright and surprise to another corner of the room. She sees a large, oak trunk sitting lonesome. Dust has covered it and it looks as if it hasn't been touched in centuries.

But, when a shining, white light can be seen glowing from within the trunk, Phoebe knew that THIS is what the Spirit Board must've been trying to get them to see.

She walks over to the trunk and just as soon as it appeared, the light stops shining and the trunk goes back to being old, decrepit, and dusty. Kneeling down to the trunk's level, she pops it open without struggling too much, only to find a single, large, black book laying inside of it.

Phoebe eyed the book curiously, taking another glance back at the open attic door. Paige hadn't followed her inside, probably gotten too spooked after seeing the door open by itself. Nonetheless, Phoebe's curiosity was more than piqued. Pulling the large book out, Phoebe closed the trunk and sat on top of it. She stares at the big, dusty book in awe. She had no idea what it was, but somehow felt it meant something big.

Taking a huge breath, Phoebe blows the dust accumulated on the cover of the book off, it looking like a sandstorm blowing in front of her. After the dust was blown off, she could make out a strange symbol: it was a circle with four interlocking triangular arcs in the middle of it.

Raising another eyebrow, Phoebe opens the book. The words 'Book of Shadows' popped out at her, written in Old English style. "Book of Shadows…," she whispered to herself. A thunder clap outside made her jump for what seemed like the millionth time tonight. She gripped the book tightly, not sure if she should read what was inside. Her fingers seemed to be moving themselves as she turned the page.

More words written in Old English, this time an entire paragraph, littered the page. Squinting, she read out loud, "_Hear now the words of the witches, the secrets we hid in the night. The oldest of Gods are invoked here, the great work of Magic is sought. In this night and in this hour, I call upon the ancient power. Bring your powers to we Warren four. We want the power, give us the power_."

She had simply thought she was reading words off of a page in the book… she wouldn't of thought that, though, if she saw the supposedly broken chandelier in the kitchen. For as soon as the words escaped her mouth, the chandelier lit up with the same bright light that shined from the trunk before Phoebe opened it moments ago.

A picture in the living room, with all four Halliwell girls standing far apart from each other with forced smiles on their faces, glowed magically. Once the glowing dissipated, the picture now showed the four Halliwells smiling happily, shoulder-to-shoulder.

* * *

Prue, followed by Piper and Paige, stormed into the attic, seeing Phoebe nose-first in a dusty, old book. When Paige came rushing to her, saying Phoebe had somehow managed to get the attic door open, both Prue and Piper immediately rushed up to see for themselves. The going-ons of the entire night had been becoming too much for Prue, her head starting to pound because of it.

"What are you doing?" Prue asked snappily to Phoebe, who hopped off the trunk she was sitting on, closing the book immediately.

"Uh... reading an incantation. It was in this… Book of Shadows. I found it in that trunk," Phoebe said, almost out of breath. Prue couldn't tell if it was from excitement or her being scared. Or maybe a little bit of both. "Let me see that," Prue replied in a bossy, big sister-like tone, snatching the dusty book out of Phoebe's hands.

"How did you get in here?" Piper placed her hands on her hip, looking around at the dark attic apprehensively. She asked a question she already knew the answer to. "The door opened!" Phoebe said, that same tone in her voice, sounding like a mixture of fright and excite.

Watching Prue flip through the old book, Paige cut in immediately. "Wait a minute. Did you say 'incantation'? What kind of incantation?"

"It said something about there being three essentials of magic. Uh… timing, feeling, and the phases of the moon. If we were ever gonna do this, now - midnight on a full moon - is the most powerful time," Phoebe explained. Her breath was becoming more short and her tone getting higher. It was almost as if this whole thing exhilarated her.

Piper still furrowed her eyebrows at Phoebe in a confused manner. "This? Do what, this?"

Hesitating, Phoebe quietly replied, "... Receive our powers."

Exchanging frazzled looks, Paige and Piper turned to Phoebe, now both of them having the same confused gaze on their faces.

"What powers?" Paige asked, followed by Piper's voice raising, saying, "Wait, _OUR_ powers? You included _ME_ in this?!"

After skimming through the so-called 'Book of Shadows', Prue's stern frown deepened as she turned back to the very first page of it. "No, she included all of us. _Bring your powers to we Warren four_. It's a book of witchcraft!"

Prue slammed the book shut, glaring at Phoebe, who avoided her gaze the best she could. Paige grabbed the book from Pure, "Let me see that!"

As the four Halliwell women went back and forth about what to do next about their situation, the rain continued to pour down outside. The thunder continued to clap… the lightning continued to flash. The hooded man standing on the sidewalk, staring at the large Halliwell Manor, almost couldn't be seen in the dark night.

* * *

Back inside the large, dark manor, the Halliwell women were all a flutter about their recent discovery of a book of witchcraft called 'The Book of Shadows' in their attic, which none of them were able to get into up until now.

Prue found the whole thing rather absurd and ridiculous, shooting subtle glares her baby sister, Phoebe's way. "Spirit boards, books of witchcraft. It figures all this freaky stuff started when you arrived," she grumbled as Piper, Phoebe, and Paige followed her down the stairs from the attic.

"Hey, I wasn't the one who found the Spirit Board!" Phoebe defended herself.

"It wasn't my fingers sliding around on the pointer," Prue shot back as the four girls made it to the bottom of the steps.

The lights were still out, the house still plunged in darkness. Piper, for one, just wanted everyone and everything to go back to normal. "It doesn't matter! Because nothing happened," she said, her peacemaker title always coming into great use in times of need. She turned towards Phoebe. "Right, Phoebe? When you did that... incantation?"

Rolling her eyes, Phoebe replied smartly, "Well, my head spun around and I vomited split-pea soup. How should I know?"

Paige glanced around the house. While it was still dark and looked creepy, nothing other than that seemed to be different about it. "Well… everything looks the same," she said in an unsure voice.

"See! She's right," Phoebe agreed, just glad that someone was on her side.

"But, the house still needs work," Prue concluded. And, as usual, she was right. What was once just the chandelier being out of power turned into the entire house being out of power.

Paige walked into the foyer, still glancing nervously around the dark manor. "Everything feels the same. So nothing's changed… Right?" The unsure shakiness in her voice got her three cousins nervous to even answer her question.

None of them had any idea what was in store or what was coming.


	6. The Morning After

The next morning, the rain had FINALLY let up. The sun was shining and birds were chirping as people started to get themselves ready for the day ahead. The Halliwell Manor had returned to what was normalcy for it, the lights coming back on shortly after they found some creepy discoveries in the attic of the house.

Phoebe sits on the porch of the manor, a mug of coffee in her hands as she watches people get in their cars heading for work, the school buses driving down the road, full of children.

She could barely sleep last night. Her adrenaline wouldn't allow her. After finding what was called 'The Book of Shadows', she made it her business to at least read the first few pages of it. And it gave her way more insight to her family history than she ever would've thought she would've learned.

Apparently, according to 'The Book of Shadows', her, her sisters, her cousin, grandmother, mother, and aunt were all a part of a long line of witches that started from a woman named Melinda Warren. Not only that, but the four of them were part of a great power, known only as the 'Power of Four'. _It sounds like something straight out of a storybook_, Phoebe thought to herself, taking another sip of coffee.

Piper steps out, purse and chef uniform in her hands. She immediately spots Phoebe, who turns and smiles at her upon hearing her clomp out on the porch. "You're up early," Piper greeted with a warm smile.

"I never went to sleep," Phoebe replied, taking another sip from her mug.

"Don't tell me you put on a black, conical hat and spent the night flying around the neighborhood on a broomstick?" Piper cracked, taking a seat next to her sister. Despite Piper's cynicism, Phoebe couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, "The only broom I've ever had was kept in a closet beside a mop."

"So what were you doing?"

"Reading," Phoebe answered.

Before Piper could respond, they see a sleek, nearly brand new Chevrolet Malibu pull up next to the mailbox on the street. Phoebe raised a curious eyebrow, trying to get a good look at the driver. "Who's that?"

Smiling, Piper waved merrily to the Malibu, "That's Vanessa.

Phoebe perked up immediately upon hearing the name, "Vanessa?! Vanessa Wilcox?"

"Only Vanessa Wilcox I know," Piper said with a smile, standing up to her feet.

Excitedly, Phoebe hopped up, carefully balancing her mug in her hands as she glided up to the Malibu. The person inside the car, Vanessa Wilcox, was young, pretty, and perky. She just also happened to be Paige's best friend since the two of them were in the fifth grade.

When she saw Phoebe approaching her car, Vanessa squealed excitedly, unbuckling her seatbelt and practically jumping out of the driver's seat.

Vanessa nearly tackled Phoebe, who balanced her cup while giving the young teenage girl a hug at the same time. Vanessa had always had a presence in the Halliwell household as Paige's best friend. Their grandmother, Penny, had always allowed Vanessa to come over to the house, sometimes even spending the night. She had become somewhat as another younger baby cousin/sister. And like Paige, Phoebe was Vanessa's favorite out of the three older women.

"Phoebe!" Vanessa shouted excitedly. "When did you get here?!"

Laughing, Phoebe replied, "I just got back last night. Nice car!"

Taking a quick glance back at the Malibu, Vanessa nonchalantly shrugged. "Thanks. My Dad bought it for me for my Sweet Sixteen last year."

"Your Dad! How is that big, tub of lard?"

It was Vanessa's turn to crack up laughing. "He's awesome! Getting old, though."

"I'm surprised he let you keep it after yesterday. Prue told me about your and Paige's… escapades yesterday."

Vanessa sighed, her eyes going to the top of her immediately. Phoebe giggled at her reaction to her statement. Piper walked up to the two of them, shooting Vanessa a warm smile before hugging her, saying, "Hey, Vanessa. How are you?"

"I'm good. Where's Paige? We're gonna be late. And after yesterday, I cannot afford to be late," Vanessa said, taking a nervous glance towards the large Halliwell Manor.

"She should be down in a second. You guys better stay at school ALL DAY today," Piper said, emphasizing the last part. Vanessa's eyes floated to the top of her head again, sighing loudly.

"You guys sound like my Mom," Vanessa griped.

Phoebe couldn't help but laugh as Paige walked out of the front door of the Manor, backpack bouncing behind her. Her normally wild black hair was tied back into a ponytail, her green camouflage jacket clearly too big for her as she hurried down the driveway towards Piper, Phoebe, and Vanessa.

"Finally!" Vanessa shouted out to Paige, raising her hands dramatically.

"Oh, whatever. You weren't even waiting for that long," Paige shot back as she reached them. She shot an awkward look Phoebe and Piper's way. "Where's Prue?"

"She went to work early. Vanessa can I borrow these two for a sec?" Piper asked, giving Vanessa a motherly smile.

"Uh, sure," Vanessa replied. Paige, however, smacked her teeth with attitude before saying, "Really, Piper? We're gonna be late-"

"It'll only take a minute. I need to talk to you two. Over here," Piper gave Vanessa another smile, leading Phoebe and Paige over to her car. Once they were sure Vanessa was out of earshot, Piper said, "Okay, Paige. No skipping school today. I mean it."

Paige gave her a look, furrowing her eyebrows. "THAT'S what you wanted to say?!"

Ignoring her baby cousin, Piper turned to Phoebe, "And, you. No more of this witch talk."

"But, the Book of Shadows says we are the ancestors of the witch Melinda Warren, who resided in Salem, Massachusetts," Phoebe reeled off the information as fast as she could remember it. Piper and Paige gave her blank, unbelieving stares. Scoffing, Paige replied, "Right. We're related to witches. As if I wasn't weird enough. I'm gonna be late for school."

"Why is it so hard for you guys to believe me?" Phoebe argued.

"C'mon, Phoebe. So we're ancestors of a witch? We also have an aunt who was manic, a grandfather who was a drunk, and a father who's invisible," Piper retorted, but unfortunately, most of that was true. The Halliwell family was dysfunctional, indeed.

Paige merely walks away, quickly saying, "Bye," before heading back over to Vanessa, who was now sitting inside of her Malibu.

"I mean it, Paige! In school! All day!" Piper yelled after Paige, who waved her hand at her dismissively without even looking back at her. She got in the Malibu. shutting the door. Piper turned back towards Phoebe, who was still looking like she wasn't about to let this whole witch argument up.

"I'm serious, Piper. Melinda practiced powers. Four powers. She could move objects with her mind, become invisible, see the future, and stop time. Before Melinda was burned at the stake, she vowed that each generation of Warren witches would become stronger and stronger, and we are the next generation of those witches. The Power of Four. Four of the most powerful witches the world has ever known. Good witches…. I think we're those witches."

Piper gave her sister the dryest stare she could. She chuckled, before saying, "Look. I know what happened last night was weird and unexplainable, but we're not witches and we do not have special powers. Besides, Grams wasn't a witch. And as far as we know, Auntie Pam wasn't one and neither was Mom."

She gives her sister a kiss on the cheek, "So take that, Nancy Drew." Piper gives Phoebe the same motherly smile she gave to Vanessa. Behind them, Vanessa's Malibu had already pulled off from the driveway. Piper opened her car door, hopping in the driver's seat.

Phoebe smiled at her, waving in a dispirited manner. She didn't give a farewell one would've thought. In her sing-song-like voice, she continued waving, saying, "We're the protectors of the innocent. We're known as the Charmed Ones!"

Laughing, shooting her sister a snide smile, Piper pulls off and out of the driveway.


	7. A Not-So-Normal Day

The Museum of Natural History. A place that Prue had come to loathe in her few months of working there. Filled with rare and unusual artifacts, architecture, and paintings, that was the only thing that she found herself looking forward to when coming in for another day's work.

Just about every day, they were brought a new item to appraise. And due to her Art History professor during her sophomore year of college, Prue was more than fascinated with the different pieces of art her and team of colleagues were given to look over, determining if the pieces were the real deal or a fake.

What she didn't like about the job, though, is the people she worked with. Like the office she began working at right after she graduated undergrad, the people at the museum were damn near unbearable to deal with. Prue constantly found herself having to bite her tongue, not wanting to say or do the wrong thing when it came to people she had to work with. But, today she was not in the mood to deal with anyone's bullcrap. That especially of Roger Nelson, her ex-fiancé.

It was the same Roger that had made a move on Phoebe. Or Phoebe made a move on him, whatever the case may be, Prue had to work with the one man she didn't even really wanna see. Making her job ten times more difficult than it should've been.

Roger glided up to her, matching her pace. Prue subtlety rolled her eyes, seeing Roger from the corner of her eye but never fully looking his way.

"So… there's been a change of plan," Roger said, his snide smirk plastered on his face as always. It was another thing that Prue had come to loathe about her job.

"Change of plan regarding the Beals expedition?" Prue clarified, trying to maintain her professionalism.

Roger nodded, continuing, "The extra money that you helped raise through private donations has sparked significant corporate interest and the Beals artifacts will now become part of our permanent collection."

Prue, finally looking Roger in the face, smiled at the news. Even though it was a fake one, it was still a smile and that was an improvement. "Well, that's terrific!"

And, of course, the minute Prue attempts to be even somewhat cordial towards Roger, he manages to mess up the conversation all over again. "Which is why the Board wants someone a little more…," he struggled to find the right word before saying, "Qualified. To handle the collection from now on."

Prue stopped walking, her fake smile disappearing from her face. She was now frowning, looking Roger dead in his face. It was evident she unnerved him a little, seeing as he slightly backed away from her.

"You look surprised," Roger remarked as Prue frowned at him for another minute longer.

"I don't know why. I'm furious," Prue replied, her voice shaky with anger. This was a typical Roger Nelson move as far as Prue was concerned. He was the type to take all the credit but never put in the work. A lot like their entire relationship, she thought to herself. "Not only have I been on this project since its inception, but I'm the curator who secured the entire exhibition."

Roger didn't say anything. He just kept that same, smug grin on his face. Prue had already known what he was playing at from the beginning. "You're the person a 'little more qualified', aren't you?" She asked, crossing her arms, for fear of wanting to put her hands around Roger's neck.

"Well, I could hardly say 'no' to the Board of Directors, could I?" Roger plead his case. But, it fell on deaf ears with Prue, who continued to glower at him. His smug smile widened, "But, I know you'll be happy for. After all, what's good for me is definitely good for you. Right, Miss Halliwell?"

Prue's frown seemed to have deepened at the 'Miss Halliwell' formality. It was bad enough they were engaged to each other at one point in life, now Roger was testing her. "Miss Halliwell?" Prue repeated, her voice spitting acid, "Since when did we stop being on a first name basis? When we stopped sleeping together or when I returned your engagement ring, Roger?"

Roger merely shrugged his shoulders, "I didn't realize the two were mutually exclusive." Then, he laughed, making Prue's blood boil even more. She felt like she was going to blow at any second. Once Roger calmed down his giggles, "Although I certainly enjoyed one better than the other."

Prue glared at him. All the professionalism she had been trying so hard to upkeep was about to be thrown out the window. She didn't care anymore that Roger was her ex, her boss, this job, or anything else having to deal with the Museum of Natural History.

"Bastard!" She hissed at him, instantly turning on her heel and storming away.

"Prue, wait!" She heard Roger call after her.

She didn't know why she stopped, why she didn't keep going. But, against her own will it seemed like, she turned around and faced Roger, once again. She immediately regretted it, though, once she saw his smug smile still layered on his face.

"I feel like I should say something if only to avoid a lawsuit," he joked arrogantly.

Shaking her head, she gives Roger one last glare before storming away. And this time she didn't stop or turn back around. For if she did, she would've saw the ballpoint ink pen in his pocket leak while still inside his pocket. Roger noticed it, taking the pen out, examining it closely. He squints, not being able to see where the leak had come from. Right at the top of the pen, where the point was, a stream of liquid ink came squirting on right in Roger's face.

He yelps in surprise, Prue turning the corner and disappearing out of sight.

* * *

In the kitchen of the popular Quake Restaurant located in the North Beach area of San Francisco, Piper put the finishing touches on her audition meal, a roast pork recipe she created herself.

Piper was proud of her work, and she had been waiting for this kind of opportunity the moment she graduated culinary arts school. She looked at the dish, beaming with pride. All it needed was one last touch of something.

She turned, grabbing the port of wine that Jeremy had bought for her, pouring it into a measuring cup that was seated close by.

Unfortunately, the Head Chef of Quake Restaurant, Chef Moore, came striding in, his walk indicating how over-the-top he actually was.

"Ze time is up! Let's see," Chef Moore said in his seemingly forced French accent he attempted to perfect over the years.

Piper panicked when Chef Moore grabbed the index card with the information on what her audition meal was. She hadn't put the port on it, yet. And that was the most important ingredient!

"Roast pork with gratin of fennel and penne with a port giblet sauce," Chef Moore read off, looking over the dish, somewhat impressed. Piper, however, thought her heart had dropped into her stomach.

"Chef Moore-" Piper started, being cut off by a rude, "What?" from Chef Moore. She looked at the measuring cup in her hands and to the dish sitting on the table and finally to Chef Moore who stood over it. "Uh… the port," Piper meekly said.

Chef Moore smiled at her; she was certainly making an impression. "Yes, without ze sauce it iz nothing more zan a salty marinara!" Chef Moore said, flailing his arms dramatically. The stories Piper had heard about this guy were nothing like the real thing. "A recipe from a woman's magazine. Puh!"

"But, I didn't have time for-"

"Ah-ah!" Chef Moore stopped her again, waving his hand in front of her to shush her.

"But… But…" Piper stammered as she watches Chef Moore grab a fork full of roast. It felt like slow motion watching him raise the fork to his mouth, it opening wide.

"Wait!" Piper yelled, waving her hands to emphasize that she desperately needed him to not eat the pork in its current state. And then… he did. Chef Moore stops, the fork paused right in front of his open mouth. He stands there like a statue.

Piper curiously raised an eyebrow. "Chef Moore?"

The chef remains still, for up to the mouth, staring blankly into space. Piper waves a hand in front of his face, attempting to catch his attention. "Chef Moore? Hellooooo?"

Waving her hand in his face once more, she made sure to continue watching him as she rushes to grab a turkey baster, going over the the measuring cup filled with port. Not taking her eyes off the frozen Chef Moore, she dips the baster into the measuring cup, filling it up with port. She rushes back over to Chef Moore with the baster, dribbling drops of the port onto Chef Moore's forkful of food.

Sighing nervously, Piper backs away just as soon as Chef Moore stuffs the bite into his mouth, unfreezing.

It was as if time had not passed for Chef Moore, for as soon as he tasted the pork, he closed his eyes, savoring the taste as if it was the most heavenly thing he had ever tasted, "Mmm… this iz very good."

Piper paused, utterly confused as to what just happened a few moments ago. But, she didn't stop Chef Moore as he continued to chew on his bite of roast, his satisfied smile widening. "_C'est magnifique_!"

Even though she was still confused, Piper managed to let out an awkward chuckle as Chef Moore beamed over her recipe.

* * *

The bell rings at Lowell High School, signaling the end of another class. Students rush out of classrooms, bumrushing each other as they make their way down the hallways, meeting up with friends, heading to their next classes. Pretty usual for a overcrowded high school.

Paige steps out of her Algebra 2 class, giving a test paper that was given back to the class an expressionless stare. Math was never her strong suit and it was showing in this last test.

It had a large, red 'F' written at the top, marks and comments written all over the incorrect answers. The marks made it worse for Paige, her teacher, Miss Lockhart, hated her the day she step foot in her class and always made it her business that Paige doesn't forget it.

Scoffing, she stuffs the test paper inside her pocket, turning a corner and heading for her locker.

She wasn't the most popular girl at Lowell. Heck, she probably wasn't popular at all. With Vanessa being her only REAL friend, she might as well had been invisible. But, she liked it that way. Paige was never the kind of girl who desired to be in the spotlight, anyway.

Passing throngs of students, all mingling, Paige finally reached her locker. Putting in the combination, she swings it open, practically throwing her Algebra textbook inside of it.

Vanessa glides up to her locker, large frown on her face. "Did Miss Lockhart give you guys your tests back?"

Matching her frown, Paige digs through her dirty locker for her gym clothes, her and Vanessa having gym the next period. "Yeah. I failed it. She made sure to write her pretty, little doodles all over it just to let me know."

"Ugh! I hate that. Like, the 'F' at the top isn't enough?" Vanessa snarls, pulling out her own test from Miss Lockhart. Like Paige's a large 'F' at the top with notes scribbled all over it. "She is such a bitch, I swear."

"We've only been back in school for a month and I think I'm already on my way to failing her class," Paige somberly said as she pulled out her gym clothes, slamming her locker shut.

People still mill up and down the hallway as the two of them start walking down, towards the school gym.

"I'm gonna go talk to Miss Keating about getting transferred to another teacher. Its not us, she can't teach," Vanessa commented, still looking at her test paper.

Paige remained silent, Vanessa's complaining of their Algebra teacher being drowned out by her thoughts as her eyes fell upon a certain someone… a certain someone named Henry Matthews.

Henry was a senior at Lowell High School, captain of the varsity basketball team, and pretty much the most popular guy at school. Paige would never admit it, but she, like half of the girls at the school, had developed a crush on the senior. It wasn't always like that, however. Paige didn't even know who a Henry Matthews was up until last year, when they both had the same Geometry class together. They were paired together to finish an in-class project. And it was probably the worst thing that could've happened to Paige at the time, in her opinion.

Being a favorite student by many teachers, Henry was able to get away with so much more stuff than a regular student would. Being captain of the basketball team allowed Henry to have excuses to leave class early, come to class late, or just not show up at all. Other than a few offhand comments that he made here and there, Henry had barely helped Paige at all with the project.

Throughout the semester, she had come to grow a strong dislike for Henry. It wasn't until AFTER the project was turned in and finished (thanks to Paige) and the year was over before Henry had sought her out and apologized for leaving her high and dry by herself to finish the project alone.

She was still a little miffed at him, but the gesture had caused Paige to actually get to know Henry, even develop a small crush on him, unfortunately. It didn't help that he was easy on the eyes, either.

"Paige!" Vanessa yelled, snapping Paige from her thoughts. She blinked, regaining herself and taking in her surroundings. Vanessa followed Paige's gaze towards Henry, who was horse-playing and joking at the end of the hallway with a group of his teammates. Smiling, she said, "Ooh, I see. Fantasizing about 'Sexy Henry' again, huh?"

Making a face at her friend, Paige replied, "I wasn't fantasizing."

Vanessa giggled. "Fantasizing, daydreaming. Its all the same. Hey, don't feel bad. I think we've all fantasized about 'Sexy Henry' one time or another."

"I wasn't fantasizing about him! And stop calling him that," Paige said, still making subtle glances Henry's way. Her response just made Vanessa laugh even harder, "Well, what should I call him? I mean, he IS sexy."

The two of them continued to watch Henry and his basketball buddies goof off with each other up until a familiar girl with a gorgeous face and pretty, long hair flowing behind her walks up to him, gives him a giant bearhug, and plants a wet kiss on his lips.

Both Paige's and Vanessa's faces fall. It was Alexis Carter, another senior of Lowell High School. She was also Head Cheerleader of the cheerleading team and by default… Henry's girlfriend. Along with her bad reputation of being the biggest bitch at Lowell High School, the looks on their faces made it clear that Alexis wasn't Vanessa and Paige's favorite person.

Sighing, Vanessa says, "Of course, he'd be a lot sexier if he didn't have that witch hanging off of him every second."

Letting out another one of her signature scoffs, Paige continued walking towards the gym. "Whatever. The two of them are made for each other. They're both incredibly shallow, incredibly pretty, and incredibly conceited."

"You forgot to mention incredibly popular," Vanessa added.

They walk past the crowd of rowdy seniors, Henry and Alexis right in the middle. Paige gives one last fleeting glance to Henry, one that he doesn't even notice, due to him being enamored with his band of loyal followers. She rolls her eyes, following Vanessa into the gym for their next class.

* * *

Prue stormed down the hall, towards Roger's office. After her little with spat with him, she skipped lunch, sitting in her own office thinking about what another one of her college professors had taught her in her undergrad days. 'Seek passion and the money will follow,' the words echoed in her head ever-so-clearly.

It was no secret, Prue HATED her job at the museum. Of course, having the Museum of Natural History on her resume looks awesome, but she wasn't about to continue to come to work and be miserable and go home and STILL be miserable about having to go back to work the next day.

Her previous job at a decent office before moving back into the manor wasn't anything great, either. But, she at least LIKED it. Not like working here. And she was sure most of her hate for the stemmed from having to work under Roger.

At one point, she had cared and loved Roger deeply. Even planned on marrying him. He turned out to be an arrogant dickhead once the wedding plans started becoming reality. Not to mention the whole fiasco he had with her baby sister, Phoebe, which Prue didn't even wanna think about right now.

As she got closer to Roger's office, she heard his echoing voice through the open door before she even walked in and saw him. "It was my idea to spark corporate interest in private donations. Not only have I been with this project since its inception..." Roger gloated. Her blood boiled again for the fifth time today.

She turned the corner, walking into Roger's office. He's on the phone, his back faced to her cause he was too busy admiring the view from his large window, office chair leaned back in a pretty relaxed position. Prue frowned at the sight, watching and listening to him continue to gloat. "... but we both know who really secured the entire exhibit." He swings back to his desk, seeing Prue frowning at him in the doorway.

"Prue!" He says, slightly startled.

She shook her head, deciding to just dive straight into it, "I quit."

His face drops at the words, just as Prue knew it would. "I'm going to have to call you back," Roger quickly said in the phone before hanging it up. He stands up to his full height, his face softening. "Think about this, Prue."

Prue shrugged before saying, "Lousy job, lousy pay, lousy boss. What's to think about?"

"Your future. Because, believe me, if you walk out with no notice, you can kiss any references-"

Prue immediately stopped him, her frown turning into a glare. "Don't threaten me, Roger."

He stops, seeing her glare, it instantly unnerving him. That glare had secretly always scared Roger a little bit. He chuckles, attempting to laugh it off that Prue called his bluff.

"You know me. Had to try," Roger nervously chortled. He walked from around his desk, closer to Prue, who didn't let up her glare. "Look… you're hurt, you're angry, your pride is wounded. I understand all that. That's why you can't see that I'm doing you a favor."

Prue blinked. She couldn't believe the audacity of him! It sounded an awful lot like Roger was patronizing her. And that was rather insulting to Prue. "Excuse me?"

"I HAD to take the exhibit away from you. If I hadn't, the Board would've come and put a total stranger in my place," Roger explained, a weak attempt at trying to convince Prue to not quit. Regardless of how he acted or what he said, Prue was the one breaking her back to bring in the clients and investors to the museum. He didn't know how long he would be able to do without her.

"Think about it, Prue. I'm here for you. Not some stranger. You should be THANKING me. Not leaving me."

Prue's glare still called her face home, but she smirked after he said that. It wasn't often she saw Roger beg. She was loving every minute of it.

"Well, I'm not worried," Prue said, matching Roger's previous smugness. "I'm certain that your intellect will make quick work of the 75 computer discs and thousands of pages of research a I left in my office."

Now, it was Roger's turn to glare at her. Prue, however, thought it was rather amusing. "You're gonna regret this," he said in a low voice.

It was Prue's turn to chuckle at him, "Oh, I don't think so." She sighed, finally getting some satisfaction from this whole little exchange. "I thought breaking up with you was the best thing I'd ever done. But, this definitely tops that."

His face turns red as she gives him another satisfied smile, promptly giving him the farewell, "Goodbye, Roger." And with that, Prue turns and walks out of his office.

Not wanting to NOT have the last word, Roger calls after her as she strides out the office, "I hope there are no office supplies in your purse!"

Stopping in her tracks, Prue felt her blood begin to boil again. Catching herself just as she wrapped her hands around Roger's neck in her mind, she calmed herself down before continuing on back to her office, not looking back or saying anything further.

What she didn't see was as soon as the image of Roger getting strangled by her in her head, Roger's tie tightened around his neck in actual real life. He choked, struggling to get the tie off of him as it wrapped tighter and tighter around his neck. He stumbles to the draw of his desk, gasping for air. Opening the draw, he pulls out a pair of scissors, quickly cutting the tie off.

Catching his breath, Roger gives the now cut tie laying in his palm a bewildered look. "What the hell was that?!"

* * *

After her successful but bizarre interview with Chef Moore at Quake Restaurant, Piper's mind had been reeling ever since the incident that happened in the kitchen with Chef Moore becoming a life-like statue, never moving an inch as she added the port she needed for her recipe.

It was the strangest thing she had ever seen and the more she thought about it, the more she began to think of the going-on's of the night before and what Phoebe had said this morning. 'Stop time...' the thought kept running through Piper's mind over and over as she rushed into the phone booth down the street from Quake, putting in a quarter and picking up and dialing a number in a flurry.

On the other end, the phone rang and rang, no answer coming. Piper sighed in a frustrated manner as she waited. "Phoebe, answer the phone. Answer the phone!"

She fruitlessly waited another moment longer, listening to the phone ring and ring before finally hanging the pay phone up with a click. She frowned, her mind going back to the 'witch talk' Phoebe had tried to implant into her brain earlier in the day. None of it made sense. None of it even seemed believable!

Turning, she exited the pay phone nearly running into someone as soon as she walked back onto the sidewalk. Yelping in surprise, Piper comes to see that it was a recognizable face, one that she was more than happy to see. "Oh, God, Jeremy you scared me!"

Piper's boyfriend, Jeremy Burns, smiles at her, raising a curious eyebrow. "I can see that. I'm sorry," he says with a lighthearted laugh. He then looks into her eyes, seeing that something was obviously bothering her. "You okay?"

"Yeah, now I am," Piper responded. When see she sees the skeptical look on Jeremy's face, she follows it with a, "I really am!"

He didn't quite believe her, so Piper tried changing the subject. "Um, what are you doing here?"

"Well… I wanted to be the first to congratulate you on your new job."

She smiled warmly at him. Even though they've only been dating for six months, Piper was really beginning to grow fond of Jeremy. He was so sweet to her, always finding a way to get her mind off anything troublesome and making her feel better. "You always surprise me. How'd you know?"

"You prepared your specialty. And everyone's who's ever sampled your work can truly see how talented you are."

Her smile never left her face. In fact, it grew even further at the compliment. THIS is why she had fallen for Jeremy. He always knew JUST what to say. Smiling at him in an irresistible manner, she replies, "I get so turned on when you talk about food."

Jeremy leans in, his grin matching hers. "Hotdogs… hamburgers… pizza."

Leaning in further, he kisses her sweetly. For the moment, everything was perfect for Piper.

* * *

Coach Andrews' gym class at Lowell High School was just about over. While the boys were outside running laps around the track, the girls stayed inside the gym, locked in an intense game of volleyball.

Unfortunately for Paige, it just meant having to be on the opposite team of none other than Alexis Carter.

When Henry, Alexis's boyfriend, was paired up with Paige last year for their Geometry project, she had grown increasingly suspicious of Paige's intentions towards Henry. Especially when Henry sought her out AFTER the semester was over. Being the jealous girlfriend that she was, Alexis immediately had thought the worst.

And even though Paige had attempted to tell her numerous times that she wasn't even near interested in Henry, Alexis just knew that Paige was after what was her's. Causing an intense, one-sided rivalry to begin.

Alexis took every chance she could to show Paige how much she didn't like her, regardless of anything Paige said or did. Fake smiles, slick insults, petty glares, Alexis was the one person that Paige hated the most at Lowell High. All because of her boyfriend. Who she had no interest in what-so-ever! And the cynical smirk splattered on Alexis's face from behind the volleyball net was coming at Paige dead and center. It was clear she had a vendetta against her for no reason.

Beads of sweat glistened on Paige's face as she prepared for Alexis's serve. Vanessa, who was on Paige's team, stood on the other side of the gym floor. The rest of her teammates tensed up. All except the girl in front, Brittney, who just happened to be Alexis's best friend.

Brittney looked behind her quickly before back to the net just as Alexis served the volleyball. She slapped the ball with as much force as she could. It went right over Brittney's head, who didn't even try to stop the ball from going behind her.

Like a rocket, the volleyball sailed across the sky… and too bad for Paige, she was halfway expecting someone else to slap the ball back to the opposing side. So it hit her dead in the face. She was seeing stars and black as soon as the ball hit her. She didn't hear the shocked gasp of Vanessa. And she didn't see what the other students in the gym saw, either. For if she did, she would've saw her entire body disappear as soon as the ball slapped her in the face. And she didn't reappear until she hit the floor with a 'thud'.

Paige laid on her back, grabbing her face in pain. Coach Andrews rushes from the sidelines and right up to her. Vanessa's face is a mixture of shock, confusion, and worry. Alexis and Brittney looked like they may have just saw a ghost, along with many of the other kids. Paige, however, was just getting over from reeling at the ball hitting her.

Blinking once, then twice, Paige's vision came back into focus, Coach Andrews kneeling over her worriedly. "Halliwell? Halliwell?!"

"What... ?" Paige said, in daze.

Shaking her head, Coach Andrews gently got her on her feet. Paige immediately grabbed her head. Casting another shocked, worried, and frightened look Paige's way, Coach Andrews grabbed her by the shoulders with hesitation, saying in a rush, "I'm taking you to the nurse, RIGHT NOW!"

The other students stood absolutely stiff with fear. Paige's head was just hurting tremendously. She didn't see the stares or that they were directed at her. They saw her entire body blink in and out a few times more, like a bad channel trying to connect.

The coach ushered Paige out of the gym in a flurry, Vanessa watching after her friend with the utmost worry. She wasn't sure what she saw… was her mind playing tricks on her? Looking back at Alexis and the other students confirmed her even greater fear. All of them couldn't have been seeing things. Paige definitely did blink in and out of vision. Like, her entire body went invisible for a few seconds. But, Vanessa's mother always told her, 'Believe only half of what you see and nothing that you hear'.

* * *

Back at the Halliwell Manor, while her sisters and baby cousin were going about their normal, everyday routines, Phoebe Halliwell had to find a way to adjust to being back in California at her grandmother's house with nothing to do.

She sat around bored a few hours after Piper and Paige left, contemplating if she wanted to go back in the attic or not. Deciding against, though, Phoebe had come to a dilemma. She had absolutely nothing to do.

Watching a little TV, making a breakfast sandwich, even washing her clothes wasn't even to keep her mind from wandering to the 'Book of Shadows' and the possible fact that she may be related to a long and powerful line of witches with magic powers.

When she found her old yearbook from her senior year of high school, she even attempted to see what some of her old friends were doing these days. Eventually, though, she decided to just take a bike ride around her old neighborhood.

It hadn't changed much over the months Phoebe had left, and she was grateful for that. So much change in her life had already happened… a little familiarity was nice to her.

And then… a sharp shock makes Phoebe gasp, her pedaling slowing down almost to a stop. The images of the sunny blue sky and kids playing in the street turned into black and white, slow motion. She turns, looking at her suddenly changed surroundings. Down the street are two boys, no older than eleven or twelve… one rollerblading and the other on a skateboard, not a care in the world.

Before Phoebe could even react, a Mercedes comes zooming down the street just as the boys cross the street. Phoebe's eyes widen as she watches the car collide into both of the boys, one flying over the car and the other under it.

She was about to scream just as another sharp shock makes her jump, gasping again. And she's back to the sunny day on Prescott Street. She's still riding her back happily, but she has no idea exactly what's going on or what just happened. A few moments ago she was watching two kids get slammed by a black Mercedes.

As she continues riding, trying to gather her thoughts, she turns a corner, seeing the same black Mercedes she just saw moments ago zoom down the street. A feeling of deja vu punches Phoebe in the gut, making her turn her head to the sidewalk. The two boys, one rollerblading and the other on a skateboard.

They got closer to the street, Phoebe's eyes widened, already knowing what was about to happen. Her pedals came faster as she yelled, "No! Wait!"

Zooming down the street, Phoebe rides right past the two boys just as they were at the edge of the sidewalk, right when the Mercedes is pulling right in front of them. Her bike skids out of control as she flies past the Mercedes, the driver honking a warning honk at her.

The bike falls, skids on the street, Phoebe being knocked off and rolled into the concrete as a result. She lays still, motionless as her bicycle lays carelessly next to her. As the two boys on the rollerblades and skateboard, along with the man driving the Mercedes rush to Phoebe's side to check and see if she's okay, no one in the small, growing crowd of bystanders watching the incident notice a small gray kitten watching the scene from underneath a parked car not too far up the street. It was the same kitten that was at Serena Frederick's apartment just the night before.


	8. Hospital Reunion

Paige lays flat on her back, looking up at the ceiling as she lays on the midsized surgeon table in the school nurse's office. She holds a small ice package to her cheek, which was red and throbbing with pain. She was so angry, but anytime she thought of anything unpleasant, her cheek started throbbing even more.

She knew Alexis threw that volleyball at her on purpose. It wouldn't be the first time she's done something incredibly low and petty such as that.

Wincing in pain, Paige's cheek seemed to be pulsating on her face. She drops the ice pack; it falls on the floor right next to the table she's laying on. Slightly rolling her eyes, Paige turns over and tries to reach for the ice pack and attempt to keep her somewhat comfortable position on the surgeon table. This proves to no avail, however, when Paige tips over, falling on the floor herself clumsily.

"Ow," was all Paige could muster out as she lays on the floor in a daze. Her cheek was definitely swollen now, she could practically feel her cheek grow as it takes over her face. She struggles to get herself up, grabbing the ice pack with a gripe.

Stomping over to the mirror hanging over a sink in Nurse Jane's office, Paige wanted to take a look at her cheek for herself. But, when she stepped in front of the mirror, she was in for a rather peculiar surprise.

She didn't see her reflection staring back at her. Instead, it was just the ice pack seemingly floating in the air next to where her cheek was suppose to be. Paige couldn't see her own reflection!

Slightly gasping, she drops the ice pack in surprise. It falls to her feet but at this point, she didn't bother to look down at it or pick it up. She continued to stare at the mirror which was supposed to be showing her her reflection. Instead it just showed the empty nurse's office, the door directly behind her.

Paige couldn't believe it. In a daze, she reached her invisible hand out to touch the mirror. It gently caressed the mirror, but she could still see nothing through the mirror. Of course, she could see herself plain as day. And when the door swung open and Nurse Jane came waltzing through, Paige's suspicions were confirmed when the nurse looked around the room with a confused frown.

"Paige?" Nurse Jane, a short plump woman, called out.

She wanted to say something. She really did. But, Paige couldn't believe this was actually happening! Nurse Jane walked deeper into her office, the confused grimace that was on her lips became more prominent. Her eyes eyed the ice pack on the floor. She clearly didn't see Paige standing right in front of the mirror because she glided right over, picked up the ice pack, examined it with a, "Huh," before looking back behind her.

Not knowing what was going on, Paige started backing away, panicking. The mirror couldn't see her reflection, Nurse Jane couldn't see her… this was all insane!

Her cheek began to pulsate once more, causing Paige to wince quietly in pain. It wasn't quiet enough, though, for Nurse Jane whirled around eyes scanning in the direction she was standing. She stared directly in the area Paige was standing in… she stopped at Paige's backpack sitting on the floor. Her suspicious gaze turned into that of worry. With the ice pack and Paige's backpack still in the office, Nurse Jane must've assumed the worse had happened to her.

Placing the ice pack on top of her mini fridge near the door of the office, Nurse Jane took one last worried glance around the room before dashing back through the door in a flurry. Suspecting that she went to go tell someone that Paige had disappeared or flew the coop, the brace-faced teenager decided it was definitely time to go.

Grabbing her backpack off the floor, Paige's cheek wouldn't let up, still stinging, if not more so. She took one last look in the mirror, her reflection still not accounted for. All she could see through the mirror was the backpack seemingly hanging in midair. To say she was creeped out would be an understatement. And then, her mind immediately went back to what her older cousin Phoebe had said earlier that morning.

Could this be a byproduct of Phoebe finding that mysterious 'Book of Shadows' and reading that so-called witch incantation? It couldn't be, could it? … 'That stuff isn't real,' Paige thought to herself, trying to convince her conscious as she looked at the floating backpack in the mirror.

"Screw this," Paige said aloud as she turned heel and headed for the door. She grabbed the knob and was just about to swing open the door. Then, her eyes fell on the ice pack Nurse Jane left on the fridge. Her cheek pulsated for the millionth. Without another thought, Paige grabbed the ice pack, opened the door, took a peek left and right to see if anybody was in the hallway, and made a mad dash for the exit. She was sure for the 2 or 3 people she passed that all they could see was a floating backpack and ice pack.

* * *

The automatic doors to St. Francis Memorial Hospital slid open for Prue as she speed walked into the entrance of the E.R. It wasn't long after she quit her job at the museum that she received a call saying that Phoebe had been involved in a minor accident. Besides a couple of bumps on the head, the nurse she spoke with reassured Prue that her sister was absolutely fine.

She didn't mind rushing off to her baby sister's rescue. But, she couldn't help but be a little annoyed at Phoebe. Prue knew that the annoyance was due to multiple things, however. It didn't change the fact that her sister was one of things, though.

The E.R. was as busy as any other emergency room of a large hospital. Announcements were made on the overhead P.A. system, nurses and doctors rushed around with patients, and people waited impatiently to be admitted in. Prue stepped up to the front desk, the nurse lady already dealing with a rather tall man in a long trench coat. Prue didn't even catch a glimpse of him, the only thing she was worried about was getting Phoebe out of here so they could go home. Her day was long and tiresome and Prue just wanted it to be over.

"Hi, um, I'm looking for my sister. Phoebe Halliwell?" Prue said, her professional office tone still present in her voice.

The nurse lady raised a finger at her, the phone to her ear. "One second please." She then turned her attention back to the tall, trench coat man. "What's the name again, sir?"

"Inspector Andrew Trudeau. Homicide. Dr. Gordon's expecting me?"

The name hit Prue like a ton of bricks. She looked to the side of her, finally getting a good look at the man standing right next to her. It was a face she hadn't seen in years. But, to her relief, it was definitely someone that she didn't mind running into. In fact, her initial annoyances about her day had complete been put on the backburner when she realized who the man standing next to her was.

"Andy?" She asked, still unable to believe it.

The man, now known to be Andy, turned and faced her. When he saw Prue's face, a broad, wide smile spread across his lips. It was Prue's high school sweetheart, Andy. She hadn't seen him since their freshman year of college, before they split ways for good when Andy had moved out of state to Portland, Oregon. It had been so long since she last saw him… but his beautiful smile was still the same.

"Prue?! I don't believe it!" He laughed, giving her an unexpected hug. Although it was unexpected, Prue embraced him back with just as much warmth. She tried her best not to _feel _him, but his strong hug was enough to remember what she had loved about Andy for the five years they dated when they were teenagers. "How are you?"

Prue returned his smile. "I'm good. How are you?"

"I'm awesome! I just… I just can't believe I'm running into you."

"Yeah, I'm picking up Phoebe. She had some kind of accident."

"Is she gonna be okay?" Andy asked, his face suddenly full of worry. It made Prue's heartstrings go off again.

"Yeah, she'll be fine," Prue said dismissively, her smile becoming even dreamier the longer she stared at Andy. She quickly changed the subject from that of her sister, promptly saying, "So, um. What are you doing here?"

Andy looked down at his feet nervously. "Uh… murder investigation."

Prue's smile left her face. She was even more intrigued now. Both Andy's grandfather and his father were men of the law, so she only assumed that he followed the family tradition. It made him even sexier to Prue. The two of them fell silent, the nurse lady finally hanging up the phone she was speaking into. "Your sister is still in x-ray's so it'll be another fifteen minutes," the nurse lady said to Prue. Then, she rounded in on Andy, saying, "Dr. Gordon's office is to the left and down the hall. He's with a patient right now but you're free to wait outside his office."

The two of them smiled at her at the same time, both of them saying, "Thank you," in unison. Prue and Andy locked eyes again. It was evident that the sparks were still there. Andy was Prue's first… in more ways than one. Her first love, her first time, her first REAL kiss. Their breakup wasn't messy or bad. It was actually pretty peaceful and pleasant. Their lives were going in different directions and at the time, it seemed to be the best thing for both of them. Prue handled it with grace. She's even had quite a few other significant relationships after Andy, i.e. Roger. But, none of them compared to what her and Andy had. She knew that he felt it too as he looked deep into her eyes.

"Well…" he began, holding out his hand to Prue for handshake. "It was good seeing you, Prue."

Giving his hand a look, Prue wanted another hug like he had just given her when he first greeted her. Not a handshake. This was another thing that she loved about Andy. He always found a way to be the most perfect gentleman in any given situation.

Taking his hand, Andy gently caresses her hand, shaking it. "Yeah, you too, Andy."

Another moment passes as the two stare into each other's eyes again. Prue lets out a sigh and says, "Take care."

Andy begins to slowly walk down the hall, towards Dr. Gordon's office. He only makes it a few steps when he turns back around. Prue feels him gaze on and just as he turns around, she does, too. Facing each other once more, they exchange smiles.

"You know… Phoebe's busy. Dr. Gordon's busy… Can I buy you a bad cup of coffee while we wait?" Andy asked her.

Mentally, Prue was jumping for joy on the inside. She managed to keep her composure to Andy, though, only letting out a simple, "Sure," with a smile.

* * *

After grabbing two cups of coffee from the coffee machine in the waiting room of the E.R. of St. Francis Memorial Hospital, Prue had gotten comfy in one of the plush waiting chairs where people waited to be serviced and helped with her high school boyfriend, Andy Trudeau. The two of them had talked just about everything in the last thirty minutes. She was pleased to realize that Andy had kept busy since she last spoke to him, which was almost eight years ago.

"So, you're inspector now?" Prue asked him, taking another sip of her black coffee.

Andy shrugged. "Hey, what can I say? In any other city I'd be called a detective."

Ever since she ran into him, Prue couldn't stop smiling at him. "Hmm… inspector's classier."

Luckily for Prue, Andy hadn't stopped smiling at her, either. It was clear to the both of them that the spark they had so many years ago was still there. They were comfortable with each other still. "Liking it better already," Andy replied to her smoothly.

Taking another sip, Prue thought about his father. "Your Dad must be so proud."

Chuckling at the mention of his father, Andy almost spit up the gulp of coffee he just drank. "Third generation," he said with a grin, grabbing a napkin off the nearby table that was placed between them and dabbing his mouth with it. "You bet he's happy. How about you, though? You taking the world by storm, yet?"

Her smile finally leaves her face when Prue thinks about how her day has been. Up until this point, it had been really crappy. Taking the world by storm would definitely be reaching.

"Well, I'm living back at Grams' house and as of an hour ago, looking for work," Prue answered bluntly. Andy knew that she was never the one to beat around the bush, something he deeply admired her for. He saw her demeanor and somewhat crestfallen frown when she told him.

Never being any good at overly comfort words, Andy could only muster out an empathetic, "Oh."

An awkward silence befalls them, Prue immediately sensing it. So she quickly changed the subject. "So how are long are you here for? Going back to Portland anytime soon?"

Leaning back into his seat, the grin Andy had returned. "Nah… I'm back for good. You, uh… still seeing Roger?"

THAT surprised Prue. She never told Andy about Roger. Or any of the guys she dated after him. "How did you know about him?"

"I know people," Andy replied, the grin on his face getting wider.

Her own smile returning to her face, Prue squinted her eyes at Andy. She had no idea who these 'people' that he spoke of could've been. But, she could only assume it was someone from their graduating high school class. However, Prue knew that she didn't speak to too many people that she graduated high school with. She dismissively thought he might have found out through social media.

"You checked up on me?" She asked him, her smile never leaving her face.

Stumped, Andy opened his mouth to say something but stopped. The boyish grin on his face got wider as he peered in Prue's eyes before taking another sip of his coffee. "I wouldn't call it that."

"Well, what would you call it?"

Shrugging his shoulders again, Andy said, "Uh… inquiring minds wanna know?"

"You checked up on me."

Andy laughed. "What can I say? I'm a detective."


	9. Home Alone

Still carrying her backpack and the ice pack, Paige finally started walking up the street towards her house. It was dark now and nobody was out on the street. So that meant no awkward or shocked stares from people as they saw an ice pack and a backpack seemingly floating in midair.

She still couldn't believe that the nurse apparently could not see her standing right in front of her. And what freaked Paige out even more was the fact that she couldn't even see her own reflection in the mirror! It was as if she was invisible! But … that was impossible. Right?

Continuing up Prescott Street, Paige finally made it to the Halliwell Manor. The dark mansion let her know one thing that made her stomach sink: her cousins were gone and the house was empty. At least that's what she was guessing. And after the happenings of last night, she for sure didn't want to be stuck in the large, creepy, seemingly haunted house by herself.

Her own house never looked more dreadful. Letting out a great, big sigh Paige took the first step towards the front door. The huge oak door gave an ominous feeling to Paige as she stuck her key in the keyhole and creaked the door open. Luckily, it was dark and no neighbors were around. For they would have seen the door to the Halliwell Manor supposedly open by itself.

Closing the door behind her, Paige scans the foyer of the manor, where the only light was illuminating. Her stomach was in knots. She grew up in the house but she never felt more like a stranger. She cast a nervous glance up towards the attic …

"Phoebe?" Paige called out nervously, praying for an answer. A creak responded, making the knots in her stomach buckle even further. She walked into the kitchen, quickly turning on the lights. She had watched enough horror movies to know that you aren't supposed to bumble around in the dark for too long. Especially in a large house where ghosts and murderers had plenty of hiding spots to jump at her from.

"Piper? Prue?!"

Silence. Her throat suddenly went dry. She gulped and gulped, trying to get the cotton mouth feeling she had to disappear. At this point, Paige was beginning to panic. NONE of her cousins were home and the manor was just WAY too creepy for her in its current state for her to be home alone.

Rushing through the rest of the house, Paige fruitlessly searches for her three cousins in the living room and the den. She barely had enough courage to peep their names at the top of the stairs leading to the basement. She didn't dare go all the way in the basement, though.

Making it back to the foyer, stopping right at the foot of the stairs leading to the attic, Paige dreadfully came to the conclusion (quite obviously, however) that she was, in fact, all alone in the house. At least that's how it seemed to be. That's what she hoped. What she didn't hope was some godforsaken, supernatural being like something out of the Poltergeist didn't come from the attic and claim her soul.

She slightly chuckles at herself inwardly, taking another awkward glance up to the attic. Her mind wanders to what went on in the house last night and the mysterious 'Book of Shadows' that Phoebe discovered in the attic. And the fact that their family come from a long, powerful line of witches. It all sounded completely absurd to Paige. She didn't believe in witches and wizards and magic and childish things like that. Sure, she loved _Harry Potter_ and the books and the movies but never would she have thought that things like that were actually real!

Walking past the large body mirror in the hallway made her worries and fright increase tenfold when she saw that her reflection still wasn't being shown. Either she was going crazy or she really couldn't be seen in mirrors or by people. She had no idea what to think.

"This is crazy," Paige said softly to herself, her heart beginning to thump more loudly and rapidly in her chest. Her nervousness and panic of the situation wasn't helping, either.

Taking a step towards the mirror, Paige gently places a hand on it. That action wasn't reflected by the mirror, though. All she could see through it was the wall that stood directly behind her. She quickly shook her head, trying to get rid of the jittery cobwebs that had formed in her brain. And out of nowhere, a small object jets past her and races up the steps!

Paige gasps in surprise and fear, turning to the object as she watches paddle up the steps to the attic, stopping suddenly to turn and look at her. Her heart continuing to race, Paige realized that it was small kitten.

Eyeing the baby cat suspiciously, Paige wasn't sure how it had gotten into house when the door was locked when she arrived. It stared her down, curiously tilting its head at her.

"Hi, kitty," the black haired teenager said sweetly and slowly, stepping towards the kitten cautiously. It had a collar on its neck, a clear indication that it belonged to someone. After taking another step towards it, Paige reached an arm out to the cat carefully, the thought of attempting to pick it and check the collar more closely in her mind.

Baby kitty had other plans, however. As soon as Paige was about to place her finger on the collar, the cat dashed up the steps and right to the attic, causing Paige to tumble and fall on the steps.

Cursing herself silently for being so clumsy, Paige looked up and saw that the door to the attic was slightly ajar, the kitten disappearing inside. If this wasn't a sign, she didn't know what else was. The cat, out of the nurse at school, the other kids at school, and every other mirror that she came across was able to see her. Or at least feel her presence. And for it to be in the house when Paige had used the key to get in was telling her something all at once.

Things were getting weirder and stranger by the second as the day and night wore on.


End file.
